Campaign Analysis: Neutrogena Remembers the '90s
Pulling on all 90s kids' nostalgic heartstrings...
A New Kind of Throwback
Nostalgia is having a long moment in marketing, but few brands have wielded it with as much strategic precision as Neutrogena's latest campaign, "Neutrogena Remembers." The brand executes a smart psychological pivot: it uses nostalgia to gently remind millennial consumers that ageing is here, so good skincare should be too.
BBDO New York created a clever hook: if you remember a certain '90s cultural reference, it might be time for retinol. This structure actively uses memory as a diagnostic tool, linking fond recognition with the realisation of time passed.
Marketing takeaway: Emotional triggers are most effective when they move beyond sentimentality. Nostalgia can do more than comfort; it can motivate change.
The Campaign Strategy
The campaign is designed as a multi-platform, culturally fluent experience that moves beyond just media buying. It launched with a hero clip featuring a famous moment from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” using that recognisable memory as an entry point to deliver its core message. Included in the launch were traditional-style ads combined with social media content.
The campaign introduces a new product (Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum), and reintroduces an existing one (Rapid Wrinkle Repair Cream), targeting a very specific demographic: nostalgic millennials beginning to see signs of ageing. The tone throughout is not shaming, but positive and almost empowering. The creative strategy leverages shared cultural memory as a cue for timing: 'If you remember this, it's time to care for your skin.'
In addition to nostalgia, the strategy uses authority and trust, in the form of dermatologist Dr. Shauna Higgins, to ground the campaign in credibility. It's a smart blend of creativity and behavioural targeting, wrapped in a positive message that pushes for action.
Marketing takeaway: Successful campaigns balance cultural resonance with precise product timing. When a message is both relevant and welcomed, it converts.
The ‘Rug Pull’ Framework
The centrepiece of the campaign is a throwback to an iconic TV moment: Donna proposing to David in "Beverly Hills, 90210." Just as the viewer is immersed in the memory, a dermatologist enters the frame to deliver a humorous truth bomb. The execution plays on the element of surprise. Viewers are lulled by the familiarity of the scene, then abruptly reminded that if they remember it, they’re old enough to need Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair line.
The brilliance of this lies in the campaign's structure, which borrows from a classic comedy beat: the setup and the rug pull. It rewards the audience for getting the reference, then converts that recognition into a light-hearted but effective CTA.
Marketing takeaway: Humour and self-awareness are strong tools for delivering hard truths. Case in point, consumers don’t mind ageing reminders when delivered with wit and timing.
Positioning and Channels
The campaign makes a calculated move to reposition retinol. Gone is the fear-based messaging of 'anti-aging.' Instead, Neutrogena speaks to a generation that embraces growth and self-care. Retinol becomes a sign of self-respect, not anti-anything.
The media mix reflects this shift in tone. The campaign launched with a hero TVC, but its lifeblood flows through digital and social. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube were the core engagement platforms, supported by creators like Maris Jones who bring the aesthetic to life in a culturally authentic way.
This multi-channel approach ensures the campaign shows up where its audience scrolls, not just where it watches. And the repurposing of nostalgic content as both entertainment and CTA keeps the message sticky and shareable.
Marketing takeaway: Show up in the channels and tones that already matter to your audience. Platform fluency is brand fluency.
Trust is Key!!
To maintain credibility, the campaign leans on the trusted voice of dermatology. Dr. Shauna Higgins features in both the TV and social spots, continuing Neutrogena's strategy of integrating real experts into their storytelling. This grounds the humour in legitimacy. It also reinforces a pro-ageing mindset, one that encourages skincare not from vanity, but from care and capability.
From a psychological lens, this is a savvy move. The authority bias (our tendency to believe experts) combined with the familiarity principle (we like what we know) creates the perfect persuasive combo. Neutrogena isn’t just speaking to its audience; they’re more importantly speaking through someone they are likely to trust.
Marketing takeaway: When making bold, creative choices, anchor them with credible messengers. Trust builds persuasion.
Repositioning Retinol for a New Era
Retinol has long been marketed with clinical cues and fear-based framing — wrinkles as enemies, age as decline. But "Neutrogena Remembers" flips that narrative. Aging isn’t an urgent problem, it’s a shared reality. Retinol isn’t a shield, it’s a tool for those who are old enough to know better and young enough to still care. This subtle language shift makes the product more approachable, and more empowering.
Marketing takeaway: Modern consumers don’t want to be fixed, they want to be seen. Position products as supportive tools, not solutions to perceived flaws.
TikTok Nostalgia, Rebuilt by Maris Jones
Neutrogena extended the campaign on social with vignettes created by Maris Jones, a director known for her detailed re-creations of vintage interiors. Her TikToks transport viewers into ’90s bedrooms and kitchens, complete with lava lamps, inflatable chairs, and corded landlines.
These social spots serve a dual purpose: they entertain and validate. By matching the visual language millennials grew up with, the brand forges a sense of shared experience. That builds affinity and primes audiences to receive the brand message.
And because Jones is a creator with her own nostalgic credibility, the content feels native to the platforms where Neutrogena wants relevance. These aren’t ads posing as TikToks, they are TikToks.
Marketing takeaway: Use platform-native creators to translate your campaign into culture. Authenticity travels farther when it’s not filtered through brand polish.
Final Take
"Neutrogena Remembers" is more than a clever nostalgia trip. It’s a culturally fluent, psychologically informed campaign that balances humour, credibility and emotional resonance. It knows its audience intimately and gives them exactly what they need: a reason to smile and a reason to care.
Final marketing takeaway: Great campaigns don’t just look back. They move forward by meeting consumers at the emotional crossroads of memory and identity.